A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Author Biography:
Beth Revis grew up in western North Carolina reading CS Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle. Her debut novel, a sci fi novel for teens who don't like scifi, is Across the Universe. Information retrieved from Amazon.com
Published by: Razorbill
ISBN: 159514398X
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Reading Level: Ages 14 and up
Reader’s Annotation:
A Million Suns, book two of Revis’s series, starts right where Across the Universe left off. Elder is struggling with new responsibilities as an extremely young leader while trying to use his friendship with Amy to help his people warm up to her. Food is becoming sparse and the people of Godspeed are beginning to up rise against Elder’s leadership. Friends begin to turn on friends while Amy searches for clues to save the ship from misfortune that is beset with a string of murders.
Plot Summary:
A Million Suns begins with commotion and distrust as Elder attempts to take over on Godspeed while being thrust into his destined leadership role far before his training is complete. At age of 15, Elder must deal with the lack of faith in him from his closest friends on the ship while also handling a series of murders aboard Godspeed.
Amy desperately wants to help Elder, but must do so in secret because the people of Godspeed are still afraid of her for being different. As Amy continues to explore the ship, she begins to find clues specifically left for herself and Elder. These clues bring to light the lies the people of Godspeed have unknowingly been living through and shed light on the intentions of the murders that have been happening on board.
Once Amy and Elder realize the root of the lies the people of Godspeed have been fed over the years, Elder makes the decision to open up to his people and tell them the truth. This almost immediately divides the ship into two groups – those who trust in Elder’s ability to lead, and those that choose to follow Elder’s former friend Barty.
With all of the problems on the ship, Amy and Elder decide to wake up the scientists and government officials who are still cryogenically frozen to help with the ship’s landing crisis. Parts of the ship are failing and there is no contact with Earth. Things were never what they seemed and now Elder, Amy, and the people of Godspeed must make a choice to stay on board or land on the unknowing “new Earth” they traveled through space for.
Critical Evaluation:
A Million Suns is a perfect continuation of the original book by Revis. The story unravels into more of a mystery during book two, which is an interesting and unexpected tie-in to the Science Fiction theme. The characters continue to grow and keep the reader wanting to know what is going to happen next; will Godspeed land? This book also helps the reader expand their mind to think about what decisions they might make in a life-changing situation.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talking Ideas:
If you discovered a long-held belief was actually a terrible lie, would you tell everyone? What if they didn't believe you? How could you possibly convince them? This is the issue Elder finds himself in in the second book of the Across the Universe trilogy.
Why This Book?
A Million Suns is a great all around book. The mystery/sci-fi theme can capture a very diverse audience while taking real life problems into account. Teens most likely will not find themselves traveling to space any time soon, but there are parallels in this story that can be easily connected to real life situations and events. By the time the story is over the reader finds themselves entangled in the story feeling like they themselves are part of Godspeed.
Beth Revis grew up in western North Carolina reading CS Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle. Her debut novel, a sci fi novel for teens who don't like scifi, is Across the Universe. Information retrieved from Amazon.com
Published by: Razorbill
ISBN: 159514398X
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Reading Level: Ages 14 and up
Reader’s Annotation:
A Million Suns, book two of Revis’s series, starts right where Across the Universe left off. Elder is struggling with new responsibilities as an extremely young leader while trying to use his friendship with Amy to help his people warm up to her. Food is becoming sparse and the people of Godspeed are beginning to up rise against Elder’s leadership. Friends begin to turn on friends while Amy searches for clues to save the ship from misfortune that is beset with a string of murders.
Plot Summary:
A Million Suns begins with commotion and distrust as Elder attempts to take over on Godspeed while being thrust into his destined leadership role far before his training is complete. At age of 15, Elder must deal with the lack of faith in him from his closest friends on the ship while also handling a series of murders aboard Godspeed.
Amy desperately wants to help Elder, but must do so in secret because the people of Godspeed are still afraid of her for being different. As Amy continues to explore the ship, she begins to find clues specifically left for herself and Elder. These clues bring to light the lies the people of Godspeed have unknowingly been living through and shed light on the intentions of the murders that have been happening on board.
Once Amy and Elder realize the root of the lies the people of Godspeed have been fed over the years, Elder makes the decision to open up to his people and tell them the truth. This almost immediately divides the ship into two groups – those who trust in Elder’s ability to lead, and those that choose to follow Elder’s former friend Barty.
With all of the problems on the ship, Amy and Elder decide to wake up the scientists and government officials who are still cryogenically frozen to help with the ship’s landing crisis. Parts of the ship are failing and there is no contact with Earth. Things were never what they seemed and now Elder, Amy, and the people of Godspeed must make a choice to stay on board or land on the unknowing “new Earth” they traveled through space for.
Critical Evaluation:
A Million Suns is a perfect continuation of the original book by Revis. The story unravels into more of a mystery during book two, which is an interesting and unexpected tie-in to the Science Fiction theme. The characters continue to grow and keep the reader wanting to know what is going to happen next; will Godspeed land? This book also helps the reader expand their mind to think about what decisions they might make in a life-changing situation.
Curriculum Ties:
- Science
- Survival
- Trust
- Decision Making
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talking Ideas:
If you discovered a long-held belief was actually a terrible lie, would you tell everyone? What if they didn't believe you? How could you possibly convince them? This is the issue Elder finds himself in in the second book of the Across the Universe trilogy.
Why This Book?
A Million Suns is a great all around book. The mystery/sci-fi theme can capture a very diverse audience while taking real life problems into account. Teens most likely will not find themselves traveling to space any time soon, but there are parallels in this story that can be easily connected to real life situations and events. By the time the story is over the reader finds themselves entangled in the story feeling like they themselves are part of Godspeed.